Call For Submissions: Speak Out Against Domestic Violence
“If you have been a victim of domestic violence (as defined, for the purposes of this project, above), or have been directly involved in another person’s experience of DV, and wish to speak out about your experiences…” then you should consider contributing to this project.

Another example she gave was a phrase that was used in a lot in legal cases at the end of the 19th century “you can’t sheathe your sword in a vibrating scabbard.” This was really explicitly tied to class as legal texts argued that while delicately bred women might freeze when a man tried to have sex with them, lower-class women, were used to rough and tumble, and could stop rape by cross their knees.

The Perorations of Lady Bracknell: One in Seven
“Being a few words written by Lady Bracknell’s editor with the intention of crystallising in her readers’ minds the real significance of Blogging Against Disablism Day.” So many great quotes that I couldn’t pick out just one, so please go read the whole thing.

The facts of this case are in public records, published documents and are available from people who participated,… my sources. The story, however, is not primarily about facts. It’s about reactions to the facts, the absence of reactions, competing priorities, and ultimately about the courage to lead. These reactions matter, perhaps more than the facts, in determining what is done. (Curtsy: Abyss2Hope).

Black Looks: Kenya’s women MPs Walk Out Of Parliament
They walked out to object to this statement, said by a male MP arguing against a new sexual assault bill: “If the bill is adopted the way it is, it will prevent men from courting women and this will be a serious impediment to the young who would want to marry. In our culture, when women say ‘No’, they mean ‘Yes’ unless it’s a prostitute.”

Although it’s an inexact fit, I’m reminded of Rebecca West’s famous 1913 quote: “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute.”

The thing is, the dichotomy of “victimhood” and being a “survivor” is absolutely false. Many, many people who have been victims of sexual violence go their whole lives with one foot in both worlds, stuck in between and never fully fitting into either category.

An independent study led by an M.I.T. economist that found big-box stores like Wal-Mart make consumers better off “by the equivalent of 25 percent of annual food spending.” Moreover, because low-income Americans spend proportionally more of their money on food, they benefit most of all. “Lower prices are the equivalent of higher wages,” Mr. Furman told The Observer. “So, for the 150 million Americans who shop at Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart’s being there is the equivalent of giving them a pay raise.”

Tutu said “South Africans are tremendous people” and the successes of the TRC had set an international benchmark in dealing with post-conflict situations, yet it failed to meet the needs of victims or reveal the full truth in many cases. (Curtsy: Black Looks).

The Wage Project: What Has The Wage Gap Cost You?Bean sent me this link – you can find out how your wages compare to the average wages of white, non-Hispanic men who have age, region, job, and educational characteristics similar to your own. It’s got some flaws – for instance, it assumes that everyone using the calculator works full-time – but if the calculations behind it are solid, then it’s a damn useful tool.

Every time you say her name, you feed the dead light in her eyes, and Baby Jesus is forced to strangle another frolicking kitten. (Also, the man-hands jokes, and the bits about the Adam’s apple? Not getting funnier every time you tell them.)

Fanfic is a legal category created by the modern system of trademarks and copyrights. Putting that label on a work of fiction says nothing about its quality, its creativity, or the intent of the writer who created it.

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year went to March, a novel by Geraldine Brooks, published by Viking. It’s a re-imagining of the life of the father of the four March girls in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Can you see a particle of difference between that and a work of declared fanfiction?

What is it with young White Americans who can’t seem to get enough of the culture of the East? What is the appeal of the ninja, the anime, the manga, the geisha, the karate, the tae kwon do, the teas, the ceremonies, the lion dance, the yakuza, the curry and the chopsticks?